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Blood donation proves costly
Reporter: BEATRIZ AYALA
Date online: 23/07/2010
Parking fine angers donor
A DELPH blood donor is up in arms after Oldham Council refused to waive a parking fine issued while she was giving blood.
Jane Riley, from Huddersfield Road, attended a blood donor session with a friend at Oldham Civic Centre and paid for one hour’s parking.
As they left, her friend felt faint so the pair stopped for a few minutes until she recovered.
When they reached her car, Mrs Riley found a parking ticket had been issued at 7.10pm — six minutes after her time ran out.
Mrs Riley said the car parking attendant who issued the ticket advised her to appeal against it as she would be successful.
She then wrote to the council asking for the fee to be waived but it refused.
She said: “I accepted I was responsible for paying for parking and, had I been engaged in leisure activity, would not have asked for the fee to be waived.
“I explained that we were there acting out of a sense of public duty and felt it would be a goodwill gesture for them to waive the fine.
“I am very disappointed to find that Oldham Council are so inflexible.”
Mrs Riley said she wondered why two parking attendants were on duty on a Monday evening when the only activity going on was the blood donor session.
She added: “I suggested to the council that they may even consider providing free parking on such occasions but they did not refer to this in their response.
“I feel strongly that the council could, in this instance, have made an exception and waived the fee.”
A spokesman for Oldham Council said: “There is an appeals process available and we would advise Mrs Riley to follow that process.”
Comments
Why not pay for an extra hour when doing something like give blood? There are a million excuses for getting a ticket, I hope her appeal fails.
This is the problem with Oldham MBC insisting on pay & display parking, rather than pay after parking. I was shopping in Oldham Town Centre recently and left because my parking time was up - if I had been able to park there and pay as I left I would have stayed longer and browsed the shops for longer and no doubt supported the local economy for longer.
ArthurD - I hope you never need the benefit of a blood donation.
Sorry, but I'm a blood donor too, and I know by the time you're all done it can be getting on for an hour, so why did she put the bare minimum of parking on her ticket? It's like getting the latest possible train to get you somewhere on time and complaining when it's late.
What a cold hearted thing to say ArthurD. The two attendants will earn more than that fine's worth in a day, that's pretty pointless. Don't get me wrong, I hate people who flout parking laws, I enjoy seeing the idiot stopped on double yellows outside the bank get a ticket while I'm parked up the road in a correct place.
This for me is also another reason not to give blood.
“I am very disappointed to find that Oldham Council are so inflexible.”
really?
parking tickets in oldham is the biggest industry going here.
ArthurD....what an old curmudgeon you are!!! The Blood Service needs all the donations it can get and the local authority should be assisting and promoting this vital service that benefits all of us whether directly or indirectly.
Yes, she should have paid for a longer time but then yes attendants/council should have some leniency, 6 minutes is hardly the end of the world.
Madre - I suggest you use Spindles car park if your shopping in town. This is a pay on departure system.
Yet another occasion when someone has done wrong - exceeded the time allowed at the parking meter - and then tries to lay the blame on someone else.
OK, yes, it is praiseworthy to donate blood, but why should that be any excuse to not pay for a service elsewhere ?
Well done to Oldham Council for supporting the rest of us who pay our dues and demands.
Oldham council really need to quit being a bunch of bureaucratic oaths and give this lady a break, she and her friend are doing a service. Who knows, maybe one day one of these oaths may need the precious blood that these kind people gave to save their lives.... What a waste.
I've donated blood in Oldham in the past and now donate platelets in Manchester every month and if I had to pay for parking I definitely would think twice about doing it. Oldham council should be ashamed of themselves and should be allowing blood doners to park for free in the first place.
Meldroo - yes, I'm quite aware of the Spindles & Town Square car park options and I usually do use them for that reason, however on this particular day I used the Civic car park and choosing to use Spindles instead would not resolve the problem of pay and display parking.
Thanks to those who supported my appeal. OMBC have now waived the fee, stating that the original refusal letter was sent out 'in error'. I dont expect special treatment but felt justified to appeal. If, as someone suggested, you pay for more than an hour and the session takes less - usually about 40mins - OMBC wins again! I will, of course, continue to give blood - OMBC declined my suggestion for free parking on donation nights, so I will continue to pay. Thanks again.
the oldham councils greedy behavour is condemnable the lady concern was serving human cause .My club HUMAN CLUB U.K is ready to share half the fine imposed by the council we apeal to the council please think humanly for humanity/The lady effected is requested to leave her contact with oldham chronical. regards waseem altaf khawaja
Have Your Say
Great you go in to help other people and you have to pay a parking fee. On top of that you get fined if you are 6 minutes late.
Blood donors should have free parking available - but this is Oldham of course - best stay in Saddleworth to give blood.
By Red Delpher @ 23/07/2010 12:16:21
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